Synonyms of deceptive

deceptive

adjective

di-ˈsep-tiv 

1

as in misleading

tending or having power to deceive

in his deceptive answer about the vehicle's history, the salesman said that the used car had never been hit by another car

Synonyms & Similar Words

• misleading
• false
• deceitful
• deceiving
• specious
• delusive
• incorrect
• beguiling
• ambiguous
• fallacious
• delusory
• inaccurate
• fraudulent
• deluding
• subtle
• cunning
• dishonest
• sneaky
• trick
• wily
• crooked
• tricky
• duplicitous
• crafty
• shifty
• artful
• underhanded
• perplexing
• slick
• treacherous
• puzzling
• sly
• untrustworthy
• mendacious
• devious
• lying
• subtile
• confounding
• shady
• wrong
• untruthful
• distracting
• underhand
• insidious
• foxy
• counterfeit
• artificial
• evasive
• faithless
• guileful
• perfidious
• hypocritical
• forged
• bogus
• fake
• bewildering
• spurious
• trickish
• phony
• sham
• insincere
• ambidextrous
• knavish
• feigned
• dissembling
• circuitous
• equivocal
• jive
• defrauding
• fast
• sneaking
• backhanded
• double-dealing
• two-faced
• left-handed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straightforward
• forthright
• direct
• plain
• nondeceptive
• open
• frank
• straight
• candid
• outspoken
• aboveboard
• illuminating
• explanatory
• revealing
• truthful
• plainspoken
• revelatory
• clarifying
• openhearted
• honest
• trustworthy
• free-spoken
• foursquare
• elucidative

2

as in fraudulent

given to or marked by cheating and deception

a mail-order firm indicted for deceptive business practices

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fraudulent
• shady
• dishonest
• crooked
• false
• duplicitous
• fast
• rogue
• shifty
• underhanded
• underhand
• bent
• artful
• sharp
• deceiving
• guileful
• deceitful
• treacherous
• unscrupulous
• unethical
• subtle
• double-dealing
• unprincipled
• cunning
• unconscionable
• delusive
• beguiling
• slick
• wily
• slippery
• sly
• crafty
• sneaky
• insidious
• tricky
• cagey
• delusory
• devious
• furtive
• foxy
• perfidious
• deluding
• trickish
• defrauding
• sneaking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• honest
• straight
• ethical
• honorable
• decent
• conscientious
• scrupulous
• just
• upright
• aboveboard
• straightforward
• forthright

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of deceptive

To play a person that is all too familiar to us, which is the person in a position of power that in order to sustain their power, participates in a deceptive practice. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 24 Sep. 2026

In the big picture, the move is part of a trend of the administration taking a friendlier approach with businesses — even at the federal agency tasked with guarding consumers from unfair and deceptive practices. — Joel Jacobs, ProPublica, 23 Sep. 2026

That’s why Meta has agreed to pay up to eighteen billion dollars as part of a settlement over predatory and deceptive practices, and why Anthropic is paying writers and publishers (admittedly, pennies) in a copyright settlement. — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

Some states have enacted laws requiring disclosures or restricting deceptive political deepfakes near elections. — Reed Williams, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026